Four years ago, when the US-China trade war resulted in tariffs on roughly $450 billion worth of goods, it was hailed as a game changer in international trade and geopolitics. Although Sino-US trade figures dipped afterwards, the situation was exacerbated by chip shortage during Covid-19, making the case for prioritising US self-reliance in hi-tech manufacturing. Additionally, Beijing began
Pakistan held a general election on February 8th, 2024, and the Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) formed its government on March 4th, 2024. Mian Shehbaz Sharif, who led the previous government under the Pakistan Democratic Movement (PDM) coalition, is the current prime minister. However, according to major macroeconomic indicators like inflation, growth rate, and unemployment, the performanc
With a population exceeding 220 million and growing at a rate of 2% per year, Pakistan, as it grapples with numerous socio-economic challenges, stands today as the fifth most populous country in the world. This rapid population growth rate of 2% demands immediate attention and comprehensive strategies to bring it lower. If growth continues at this rate the population of Pakistan by 2050 will re
Islamic finance is the area of finance that complies with Shariah guidelines and the Islamic commercial law while avoiding transactions involving interest, speculation, gambling and artificial financial instruments. Generally, when we refer to Islamic finance, our focus is on the commercial aspect of finance that includes Islamic banking, Islamic insurance, Shariah-compliant mutual funds and Su
Conditionalities before the start of the final review with the International Monetary Fund (IMF) and uncertainty about the possibility of a rate cut given the Ramazan-driven spike in inflation kept investors in a jittery mood as a result the benchmark KSE 100-share index closed the outgoing week in the red. Arif Habib Ltd (AHL) said the stock market remained under pressure throughout the out